[from SF fandom, orig. as mutation of HHOK, ‘Ha Ha Only
Kidding’] A phrase (often seen abbreviated as HHOS) that aptly
captures the flavor of much hacker discourse. Applied especially to
parodies, absurdities, and ironic jokes that are both intended and
perceived to contain a possibly disquieting amount of truth, or truths that
are constructed on in-joke and self-parody. This lexicon contains many
examples of ha-ha-only-serious in both form and content. Indeed, the
entirety of hacker culture is often perceived as ha-ha-only-serious by
hackers themselves; to take it either too lightly or too seriously marks a
person as an outsider, a wannabee, or in
larval stage. For further enlightenment on this
subject, consult any Zen master. See also
hacker humor, and koan.